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An Interview With… Fleur

After having toured extensively with drum and bass legend DJ Fresh as a part of his live show, and been a past X Factor contestant, it’s probably fair to say that Fleur‘s seen a lot of what the industry has to offer. And, after collaborating with Bristol-hailing duo Cutline on her debut single “Broken Mirror” it looks like the big-lunged and big-haired vocalist is ready to show the industry what she’s got to offer. This has been compounded by Fleur droppping a 9 minute promo mix earlier this week, featuring a number of refixes of huge tracks, along with some sneak peaks of some of her forthcoming singles. Catch that streaming below, and peruse the interview that we did with her after the jump.

Hi Fleur! Why don’t you give us a little introduction to yourself for those who aren’t familiar with you…?

I’m a singer/ songwriter from Walthamstow, East London. You may have seen me performing with the DJ Fresh live show, FRESH:LIVE. I signed to Strictly Rhythm in January and I’m releasing my solo material later this year.

Did you have a fairly musical upbringing? What inspired you to first start singing and performing music?

Yes! My house was very musical! No one played any instruments, but my parents played music every single day. We listened to Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson and George Michael to name a few. When I was three my Parents bought me a keyboard and I used to sing and make up songs on there, so all of that definitely inspired me to sing and be involved in music.

A lot of people will probably recognise you & that amazing voice of yours from performing and touring with DJ Fresh’s live show… how did that link come about?

It all came about last summer when DJ Fresh was looking for a singer for his BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge session and my Manager sent my demo to him and he liked it! So from there we started working together and I was then asked to perform in his band for the live shows. I feel so grateful for the opportunity and I’ve learnt so much from working with such a talented producer and an amazing team. I love every minute of performing with them!

You must have had your fair share of incredible gigs as a part of Fresh:Live, but what would you say has been your favourite so far?

One of my favorites definitely has to be V Festival. We got the chance to perform on the 4 Music stage in place of Nikki Minaj (who couldn’t make it) and it was an incredible experience!! There were something like 60, 000 people in the audience and it was so surreal. I will never forget the feeling I got when I looked out at the crowd! Unreal!

Some people may not be completely aware of this, but you’re in fact a previous X Factor contestant – can you tell us a little bit more about that experience and how it impacted the way you approach music today?

Yes I am! I was in the final twelve on Simon Cowell’s team in girl group ‘Addictiv Ladies’ and was very young at the time so the whole TV experience was completely new to me. I performed live on national television for millions of viewers at home and I will never forget it. I learnt a lot about the music industry and most importantly how much I wanted to do this! I got my first taste of what it could be like and it impacted me in a positive way. It taught me to be very disciplined and hardworking and I’ve always pushed myself since my X Factor experience.

Your most recent effort, “Broken Mirror”, alongside Cutline, has hit a bit of a sweet spot with the likes of Mistajam and UKF – what does it mean to you to have that level of support from such important tastemakers in the industry?

It’s amazing to get support from such major names, it means a lot to me! It makes me happy to know that people who have such a huge influence in the industry are supportive of what I’m doing. I really appreciate the backing they’ve given me and the huge platforms they’ve provided to showcase my music!

After being signed to Strictly Rhythm earlier this year, we’ve heard a few tracks here and there from yourself… when can we expect a more extended release?

I’ll be releasing a Mixtape in the next coming weeks to give people an idea of what is to come in the future and an introduction to my sound. I then have another track called “Turn The Lights On” out later this year. So I think an album will be in pipeline for next year, I’ve been writing and recording material for over a year now so I’m itching to get it out there!

What, would you say, have been your three greatest achievements to date?

One would definitely have to be signing to Strictly Rhythm this year. Another is everything I’ve achieved with the DJ Fresh Live show and having the chance to work with DJ Fresh on his new album. The third, I would say, is the track “Broken Mirror”. Having a track I had the pleasure to write on, work with such great producers on and shoot a video I’m very happy with is a great achievement.

Tell us one thing that most people don’t know about you…

I’m quite a big Disney fan and I know all the words to the song “Part of that world” from The Little Mermaid. Quite random, but most people don’t know that! ha haaa!

No, thank you! You can catch me performing live on the DJ Fresh Tour in November this year and I will be doing a lot of solo gigs very soon, so look out for those dates on my website http://www.fleurofficial.com ! You can also download “Broken Mirror” on iTunes on September 30th! 🙂